Songwriter Cory Driscoll is out with a new album tagged ‘Eureka Springs’. Written in 2019 but delayed by the forced confinement of covid-19 imposed quarantine, the Jacksonville-based folk and punk-style artist brings his 20 years of songwriting experience to bear on this new project. 

Eureka Springs is a nine-song album that personifies a figurative town atop a naturally beautiful water source located in Arkansas. Each track features an artist who brings quality and raw talent to make the album something to consider for one’s favorite playlist. The album has a solid contextual narrative and relatable lyrics that tell the story of a dad and his child that embarked on an adventure after a divorce in search of understanding and redemption in the heart of America. 

The first song on the album is Ahead of my Heels, and it’s a real jam. The note on this track was high and it features extremely rich vocals woven in elegant tenderness. The instrumental arrangement and change in inter-play sent shivers down the listeners’ spine with soothing vibes and heartfelt melody. What a way to open the album; a clear bait that keeps the listener hooked in anticipation of what is to come on the next track. 

 The temple on All Great Love started on a lowkey, more like a prologue with relatable vocals that reads “When you’re in love, you don’t ask”. But the track burst into life within some split seconds as the confessional vibe and rigidity of the instrumental led by the staccato cymbal and soft but calculative jazz drum lays bare a wonderful rendition. This is the kind of music you want to play while driving outside the state on your low-rider with the air blowing gently by the wayside.     

Hope Changes carries a somber and head-swaying melodic inference to the underlying theme. Here, the groove was easygoing and the keyboard tremendously swells alongside the soul-warming vocals that make for a perfect moon night between two lovers rocking and cuddling gently in the garden. The track carries an aura of dignity to the overall feel and thematic expression of the album. 

Then came Promise Land, an intimate song that highlights the value of willingness and choice-making in a relationship. “I want to be chosen, I hope you understand,” constitutes some of the relatable lyrical prowess that defines the premise of this song. The beat arrangement is consistent with the second track in the album. But what is so remarkable is the change in vibes—the song employs three distinct vibes to create a superb melody. This song defines Cory’s ingenuity with psychedelic arrangements of eternal proportion. What a great song. 

What Happens takes a slow, steady, and storytelling form, but with equally attractive vocals and a gigantic outpouring of genuine emotions. The beat reflects the shining embers of the summer’s morning lights, metaphorically portraying the greatness of America. 

Anonymous Water is equally somber, calculative in sonic arrangement with an ominously haunting feel to it. But just when you thought that’s how things will end, the track’s tempo picked up steam halfway to deliver another mesmerizing folk and country-like rendition that would make you shower praises on God for creating music as an art. 

On Out of Reach, Cory brings to life the folk singing spirit that leaves the listener gyrating around. The beat was energetic, and the atmosphere is lively, coupled with the hot lyrical flow that reminds you of the Beatles and Paul Simon’s good ole days. 

Then came the album title track, Eureka Springs. This track is the highlight of the album, with solidly woven mystical tones that give you the chills and feels like you were in some sort of movie theatre. The sound itself sidesteps trends to bring something eternal with impeccable arrangements. Words alone cannot describe this majestic song. Listen to it. 

Magnetic Springs delivers a vista wide open with mesmerizing suspense and clever tunes. Yet again, the arrangement was more than impeccable, and Cory’s wordplay drives home a remarkable harmony with a delightful taste. 

Overall, the album is top quality from start to finish; a great choice for the best playlist of the year. Well done, Cory Driscoll!